He Deserved It
by loveofallthatisawesome
Summary: Jace finds Clary broken and bleeding, and after refusing to be taken to the hospital Jace decides to take her to his house. Clary needs help and only Jace will understand. ONESHOT/AU/AH. FTW!


_DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Mortal Instruments._

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><p>Jace was walking home after a late shift at the bar, when he saw a flash of red limp into an alley about a block away. After a moment's hesitation he decided to follow. As he got closer, he saw who it was and his breath caught in his throat.<p>

"Clary?" he asked tentatively as he neared her.

"Leave me alone."

"Just – just leave me alone," she whispered, trembling.

He took hesitant steps towards her, attempting to get closer.

Her small hands, so fragile, pushed against his chest, a force so strong he still felt the imprints of her fingers after she'd recoiled.

"Let me take care of you," he pleaded, begged even. His hand was outstretched, reaching for her. "I'll take you home, you can take my bed, and I'll take care of you."

She took one look at his hand, and terror coursed through her. She shook her head frantically, her eyes widening.

Her once lustrous burgundy curls, now limp and frail, were hanging lifelessly down her back. The skin on her face and arms was once porcelain-like and creamy, unblemished, and shined with youth. She had always held the promise of a fulfilling life with happiness around every corner.

There, huddled in the dark corner of the dank alley, she had smudges of dirt and blood smeared from the tip of her brow to the corner of her raw, scabbed lips and beneath her sunken eyes. A long, deep gash ran from one shoulder to the other, little streams of blood flowing down and being soaked up by what remained of her white blouse. Amongst the tattered clothing, were dark purple bruises lining her body, along with fading yellow ones. And scars. Tiny little scars, ranging from knife wounds to cigarette burns.

Fury threatened to overtake him, but her quickening breaths reminded him of what he had to do.

"Clary, please." He knelt in front of her broken body, but this only made her press herself more into the wall, as though she were trying to become a part of it. "I can't help you unless you let me."

He had contemplated going to his house and getting the things he needed but he was afraid that by the time he made it back, it'd be too late. He had to take her with him, and keep her alive. He didn't know he himself would make it if she died.

"I did something bad, Jace," she whispered. "I didn't mean to, but it happened...I don't deserve to live anymo -" she broke off as violent coughs racked through her body. She curled in on herself as she coughed and Jace moved closer, putting his arms under her back and legs to pick her up. With little effort, he brought her up close to his chest.

A burst of adrenaline and panic went through his veins when she looked up; blood had poured out of her mouth and stained her chin.

"My God, Clary," he breathed. "I can't fix this, we have to go to the hospital." With one final look at her desolate face, he took off in a sprint, desperate to make it there on time.

Her small hands clutched his shirt and pulled, making him look at her. He stopped. Her eyes were frantic. "No, please, no! Your house! Not the hospital, they'll find me there. I'll tell you everything, just take me to your house!"

Confused as he was, Jace couldn't deny her request. He only hoped his first aid kit would be enough.

With a curt nod, he began running again, escaping people's looks and dodging traffic. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few moments, he could finally see his house at the end of the street.

He ran like his life depended on it, which, considering Clary pretty much was his life, was true. He didn't even pause to close the door, navigating through the hallways blindly and finally laying her down gently on his bed.

Her eyes were fluttering, trying to close, but Jace wouldn't have that. He held her face gently in his hands and lightly shook her.

"Don't fall asleep, Clary, just stay awake for a while longer." He looked deep into her eyes. Life was slowly slipping away from her and Jace knew he couldn't waste any more time.

He ran to his bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He pulled out a roll of bandages and a bottle of ethyl alcohol. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, palpitating so strongly that he thought he'd have a heart attack. He knelt down next to Clary and start to clean the visible wounds on her and then applied the bandages.

He didn't know what to do. Clary was still breathing harshly, raggedly, and it didn't seem like she was getting any better. He wasn't a doctor. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He brought his hands up to his head and pulled his hair in frustration. Suddenly he turned and punched the wall. The force was so much that he left a hole in it and his knuckles started bleeding. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

He ran his hands down his face. He wasn't a doctor...but Magnus was. He looked back to Clary. Would she mind if he called Magnus? He knew they didn't talk to each other anymore after Magnus accused Jonathon of beating her. But he was right and Clary was dying.

He quickly fished his phone out of his jean pocket and called Magnus.

After a few rings he heard the familiar sound of Magnus' irritated sigh. Relief flooded through him. "Nothing good happens after two am. What do you want Jace?"

"It's Clary, she -"

"If it's about Clary, then I don't care," Magnus said curtly, cutting him off. "If she's what you wanted to talk abou -"

"Magnus!" Jace punched the wall again and heard Clary groan. He turned to her and held her hand. He couldn't have her leave him again. "Clary is hurt, she's losing a lot of blood and I don't know what to do."

After a few seconds, Magnus spoke. "Take her to the hospital, I'm not on call right now."

"No! She doesn't want to go to the hospital. Something happened, with Jonathon, but she can't tell me what. She's too weak. Just come. Please." He felt his throat start to close up, but he would not let a single tear drop. He was strong. Jace Herondale does not cry. He needed to be strong for Clary.

He heard Magnus speaking through the phone again. Jace had unknowingly dropped it to his shoulder and immediately brought it back to his ear. He only caught the end of what he was saying. " - there five minutes. Okay?"

"Wait, what? Repeat that."

"Five minutes! Just wait!" And with that, Magnus hung up.

Jace was still holding Clary's hand and with his free hand he tried to inspect the rest of her body for more wounds. Her entire clothes were splattered with blood, and so he start to take them off.

The sight of what lay beneath was grotesque. Long scars adorned her blood stained stomach and Jace almost felt his resolve slip. He noticed a spot on her side that had a little more blood and when he ran his hand over it, Clary immediately cried out and tried to roll away.

He looked about frantically and when he brought his hand back up, it was coated with fresh blood.

"God, Clary, what did he do to you?" he whispered.

"I'm sorry, Jace," she whispered roughly.

He heard someone's footsteps pounding on the floor and Jace stood up, ready to defend them if it was Jonathon who came through. To his immense relief it was Magnus. He stood at the door in purple satin pajamas and a white lab coat over it. He was holding a white briefcase with MB in sequins.

He came to where Jace was kneeling and pushed him aside. "Move over, I need to see what's wrong with her." His tone was calm, but Jace could tell he was a little panicked, too. Even if Clary and Magnus didn't talk anymore, Jace knew that Magnus still cared about her.

"Oh honey, I told you to leave him when you had the chance." He quickly took off the rest of her clothes. Magnus must've seen something in Jace's face because he said, "No point in keeping them on. They're more like rags now and they'll just be a bother."

Jace watched as Magnus opened his briefcase and took out a bunch of stuff he didn't know the names of.

"She's lost a lot of blood and these," he pointed at the wounds Jace had touched on her side. "These came from a nasty stabbing. She has three of them." He shook his head. "I'm going to try my best, Jace, but I can't guarantee anything. It doesn't look completely bad, though"

Jace stood up from where he had fallen on the floor. "Just save her, Magnus."

Clary's eyes shot open when Magnus pressed a weird cloth on her wounds. Her eyes darted around and then finally settled on Magnus.

She reached up with her hand, but was too weak and just let it drop to her side again. "I'm so sorry, Magnus. I should've listened to you." She turned her head to the side and started crying. "I was so stupid, so na - " she screamed again, when Magnus started stitching her up.

Jace felt his nails digging into the palm of his hand. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. And it was his fault. He should've tried harder, when he had the chance. It was his fault Clary was like that.

"Hush, honey, just be quiet for right now," Magnus told her in a soothing voice. He looked so unemotional, stitching Clary up and applying so many different liquids to her other wounds.

"No, I have to say this." She looked around again and found Jace. Her gaze was still hard with pain, but it softened a little when she looked at him. "Jace, I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I messed everything up, but I just want you to know that," she gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. She took a few calming breaths.

"You don't have to say anything, Clary. It's all right," Jace said. He didn't want her to overexert herself and he just couldn't stand hearing her weak voice.

She ignored him and said, "I want you to know that I still love you. I've always loved you and I'm sorry for every wrong thing I've ever done to you."

Jace came closer and put his hand on her leg. He looked at her pleadingly. "This sounds a lot like a goodbye, Clary." She smiled a little. His grip on her tightened. "Don't say goodbye. Magnus is fixing you up and you're going to be fine, you're not going to die," he reassured her.

She gave a harsh laugh. It chilled Jace to the bone. Was she losing it? "Oh, Jace, even if I don't die, I'm still leaving." Jace was about to tell her no, that she would stay with him, but she waved him off. "I'm going to jail, Jace."

Confusion was all that Jace felt at that point. "What happened? With Jonathon?"

"She probably gave him what he deserved," Magnus said. He put his hands beneath Clary's shoulders and tried to pick her up. "Sit up, Clare." She complied, slowly and breathing raggedly, and when she did Magnus started wrapping a long bandage around her torso. "Get her some clothes, Jace."

He nodded and went to look in his drawers. Everything he had would be too big on her, but he finally settled for some basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

Magnus dressed her patiently, but Jace was not patient. He noticed that Clary still hadn't answered him, so he asked her again. "What happened with Jonathon, Clary?" This time his voice wasn't gentle, it was demanding.

Magnus left the room. "I'm going to get some wet towels so you can clean yourself up."

Clary hugged herself and shivered. She shut her eyes and took deep breaths. Jace was about to repeat himself when she finally spoke.

"I was so tired of him, Jace. Ever since we got married last year, he'd been getting worse and yeah, you and Magnus were right. He did beat me. But it was only when he got really drunk." She started crying and Jace sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He wanted to beat Jonathon so bad. But he was partly to blame. He knew what was going on, but he didn't do anything to stop it. "Then around three months ago, right before I stopped talking to Magnus, he began to accuse me of cheating and that I had lied about Magnus being gay. He thought I was sleeping with Magnus, can you believe that?" She looked up at Jace with a rueful smile and shook her head.

"That's the real reason I snapped at Magnus that day and told him I never wanted to talk to him again. I didn't want Jonathon to do anything bad anymore. But then he started making up things, saying I was cheating on him. He even had cameras installed in all of the rooms. He only ever turned them off when he was in the house." She shrugged.

"Anyway, things were escalating so quickly. Before he only hit me in places where people wouldn't be able to see the bruises, but then he started to hit me in my face. That was why I didn't go out so much anymore. Then...that night, after you and I had gone to Isabelle's party together, well, he saw you drop me off and he told me, 'I knew you were with him! Jace has always wanted you and you him! But you're mine.' He said it with such malice and he wasn't even drunk that time."

"I was scared. Beyond belief. He grabbed me by the shoulders and took me to the fireplace. I hadn't even seen that he had turned it on. He sat me down on the floor and told me not to move. I didn't know what he was going to do but then he took one of the pokers," her voice broke off and Jace was dreading what she was going to say. But he wanted to know. He needed to know. She suddenly detached herself from him and looked away. She stood up, more like stumbled, and placed her hands on the wall, steadying herself. Jace was about to ask what was wrong when she brought one hand down and lifted her shirt. On the right, near the small of her back, was a scar. The scar spelled JCM in inch long letters. Jonathon Christopher Morgenstern.

"He branded you!" Jace yelled. Clary flinched, but nodded and then sat back down. "I hate him so much. God, Clary, I hate him so much. I could kill him right now. I swear, I _will_ kill him." He was heaving, but he hadn't stood up. He felt that if he stood up, he might make true of his words and go off and kill him.

Then Clary spoke. Her voice was such a change from Jace's harsh tone.

"There's no need," she whispered. She looked up at Magnus who was standing at the door, listening intently. Jace hadn't even seen him return.

Clary gulped. "What do you mean?" Jace asked hesitantly.

Magnus spoke up. "Please, Clary – you didn't, did you?" he sounded pained and Jace could only guess what Clary was going to say next.

"I told you I was probably going to leave you because I'd go to jail." She smiled again.

Jace couldn't believe it. "What did you do to him, Clary?"

"I was prepared tonight. I knew he was going to hit me again because this morning he told me that I would regret talking to you last week. He found out, somehow. So I readied the fireplace and dinner. I set it all up. I thought I'd give him a chance to make things better first, but when he got home he started calling me a bitch and a whore. I knew then that he was going to hit me. Maybe not at that moment, but he was and it would never end.

"So I took out the knife that I had hidden behind my back and I was going to stab him. He was quicker, though, and snatched it out of my hands. He started taunting me saying that I was too weak and I could never do anything to him. He said I was his and no one else could ever have me and he stabbed me. It hurt so much and I fell at his feet. It hurt _so _much. And then he knelt down and said, "Just to make sure you understand," and he stabbed me again. He started to use the knife to make designs on me or something and he ripped up my clothes. I thought I was going to die right then and there. But I forced myself not to close my eyes.

"He left, to the bathroom, I think for a good while, maybe 15 minutes. It gave me just enough time to crawl my way over to the fireplace and stick a poker into the fireplace. If I could get him close enough, I thought maybe I'd brand him, too, and see how he likes it. He came back a while later and when he saw me he picked me up and shoved me next to the wall. By that point, I already had the poker within reach. I grabbed it and I swear, I was just going to graze him by a little bit. But I panicked and next thing I knew, I had stuck it into his mouth."

Clary started crying more and Jace didn't know what to do. He sat emotionless next to her. After what he had just heard he didn't know whether to be afraid of her or to comfort her. He chose the latter. He brought her to him and hugged her. She was still Clary, after all. He loved her. Had loved her for the past decade and even if she was a murderer, he knew he would never stop loving her.

"It went straight through, his mouth was frozen in a silent scream and it was so horrible. The blood was just running out, but he was still alive. He tried stabbing me again, but he was too weak and I took the knife away and I stabbed him. In the heart, I think. Or at least near it.

"He fell and I didn't know what to do anymore, but I knew I was in trouble. Still am. Because you see, I ran away right after that. I didn't grab anything, I just left. I fell a couple of times, running through the park, but I finally made it to that alley and then a while later you found me Jace. I thought I was dead and that an angel had come for me. But then I saw that it was you and I thought it's much the same."

After a long moment of silence, Jace finally said, "It was self-defense, you won't get in trouble." He couldn't believe any of what she said. Clary was too small and innocent to do any of that. It was just unbelievable.

"Actually she will," Magnus said. "You forget that I used to work as a secretary in a law firm. I learned a lot there and Clary," he said, as he came closer, "that wasn't self defense. You had the knife to begin with. He hadn't done anything by that point and you pulled it out first. You instigated the fight. Sure, he may have hit you first plenty of times before, but you never killed him those times. You probably didn't clean off anything, but that wouldn't matter seeing as how you're the only one who lives with him. You're the first suspect and once they find your DNA everywhere they're going to know it's you. And beside that, the cameras must have captured everything."

Magnus brought his hands up to his face and took a deep breath. "I shouldn't be involved in this," he muttered. "I'm just a doctor."

"They're going to know my connection to you soon enough, Jace, and they're going to come looking for me here. I'm going to leave and if they come don't tell them anything," Clary whispered, she started to put on her shoes, wincing when she bent down.

"And where would you go?" Jace asked, still in disbelief. What was going on? This wasn't what was supposed to happen to them. They were all supposed to live happily. And now Clary killed her husband and Magnus and himself would be considered accomplices.

"Far, I guess. Far enough that I could change my name and nobody would recognize me," she said. Clary grabbed her old clothes and the sheets on the bed, blood stained, and made them into a ball. "I'll get rid of these, but you guys have to promise me that you won't say anything. And you'll have to clean up here, too so they can't find any traces of me. You're going to have to change, too, Jace."

Jace was glad to see that Clary was apparently doing a lot better. But something bothered him. He finally snapped out of his daze and said, "No."

Clary looked at him. "What do you mean, no? You have to! You could get in trouble. Or maybe I should just turn myself in. I know I deserve it."

Jace's head snapped up. "No! You don't deserve that. I'm saying no, because if you're leaving, then I'm going with you." He spoke louder when Clary tried to interrupt. "I've known you for ten years now Clary, ever since we were 15 and I'm not going to let you go. You've already walked away from me once, when you married that scumbag and look where that got you. I'm going with you, whether or not you accept that."

Clary stayed silent, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She bit her lip as she thought, but Jace knew he was going with her no matter what her decision was.

The three of them went on alert instantly when they heard sirens in the background. Clary and Jonathon's apartment was only a few blocks away and if the police got there, they would find out pretty fast about Clary's connection to Jace and come looking for her there.

Clary turned back to Jace just as he started shouting. "Magnus, you're staying. When they come make up a lie, but don't include your self as an accomplice." Magnus scoffed. "Clary, you and I have to leave. Now." He held out his hand for her and after a moment's hesitation she took it and soon they were walking out of Jace's house and hopping into his car without a single goodbye.

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><p>There were loud knocks coming from the door and Magnus, although he was nervous, maintained a calm exterior. He walked up to the door languidly, timing his breathing so that it came out even and controlled.<p>

The knocking was loud and consistent and by the time Magnus opened the door, the men outside already had a gun pointed at the doorknob, ready to shoot.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I take too long to answer?" Magnus asked somewhat angry. "I was attending to my injured friend."

The police ignored him and asked rather harshly, "Is Clarissa Morgenstern-Fairchild here?"

Magnus leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "Yes, she is, and she is very injured, so if you would mind, I'd like to get back to her before she dies."

The man in front waved the others to come in as he pushed Magnus out of the way and then proceeded to check all of the rooms.

Magnus followed, as if he was angered that they were intruding, all to keep up the act. "Excuse me, do you have any type of warrant for this intrusion?" he yelled as he approached Jace's bedroom.

The police in charge surveyed the bloodied bedsheets, Magnus decided not to throw them out; it would make him look suspicious, and it didn't matter if Jace's fingerprints were there since this was his house and it was expected.

Finally, after a few seconds, Magnus pushed ahead and looked at the bedsheets as if he was shocked. "She's gone! She was right here!" He pointed to the bed. "I was just bandaging her up. She was mugged a couple of streets away and received a nasty stabbing." He shook his head mournfully. "Oh, no. She could bleed to death. She can't have gotten very far away."

The police ignored him completely and only asked, "Where is the owner of this house?"

"Oh, Jace?" Magnus waved his hand in dismissal. "Oh, he wasn't here when I arrived. Clarissa called me to help her and she was alone."

The police began to speak into his walkie-talkie thing and Magnus heard a few snippets about how they were to search the perimeter for a red head, no mention of a blonde. Magnus smiled inwardly, by then Jace and Clary were probably long gone.

Keeping up the act, he said, "Oh, this is just terrible! I have to go home now to my husband. He'll be so worried that our friend is missing!" Before he left, he called out, "I'm glad you guys are searching for her attackers! She looked very bad when she came in." All the more to remain oblivious.

With that, he walked out and hoped with all his heart that they'd never find Jace and Clary.

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><p>The sun was rising and Jace and Clary were passing the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. Just a few states more and they would stop with an old friend of Magnus', Ragnor Fell, so they could switch the license plates on Jace's car so that they couldn't be tracked and then they would head off to their destination. Something they hadn't discussed yet.<p>

Clary had just woken up and was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when Jace spoke. "Where do you think we should go?"

"Hmm?" Clary moaned as she stretched and then winced when she remembered her wounds. Jace tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear. Clary groaned. "Oh, god, Jace. I can't believe what happened last night. And that I brought you into it!" She looked out of her window sullenly. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Clary," Jace said, his voice breaking the silence. "Look at me." She shook her head a little. Jace smirked and repeated himself.

With a sigh, she did as he asked and he was soon looking into beautiful green eyes. She smiled, but it looked more like a grimace.

Looking back and forth between her and the road, Jace said softly, "I don't care that Jonathon is dead, or that you killed him. I don't care that you are wanted by the police and that I am probably, too, by now. I just care that I'm with you." He reached down and took a hold of her hand, her small, delicate one fitting perfectly in his bigger, calloused one. He squeezed it and she squeezed back. "I love you, Clary, so much, and I'm just glad that I'm with you. I'll take you however you are, criminal or not."

She smiled a little and then finally leaned over and kissed him. It was everything she remembered: warm, soft, inviting, and loving. She pulled away before they could crash. "I love you, too, Jace. Thank you."

He smiled back at her and asked again, "So where do you think we should go?"

Clary shrugged. "California?"

Jace nodded slowly and then smirked. He had the love of his life, and despite the circumstances, he was unbelievably joyful. "Across the country it is, then."

He only regretted not being able to kill Jonathon himself.

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><p><em>AN: Well, this had been sitting around on my laptop for a while and I just decided to finish it. <em>

_Pardon me if I got anything wrong with how justice works or the medical stuff; I am neither a lawyer nor a doctor._


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